


356

by KH310-S (Author_of_Kheios)



Category: ARK: Survival Evolved, Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Gavin Reed has a cat, Gavin Reed on a deserted island, Gen, Minor Original Character(s), Nines finds Gavin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 01:45:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18326174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Author_of_Kheios/pseuds/KH310-S
Summary: Trade request from a friend: Gavin and Nines in the world of ARK: Survival Evolved.https://pin.it/3tsvusb64gsbm5





	356

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jukraft](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Jukraft).



> So I have an ongoing agreement with Jukraft (those of you who've read Tread Softly and kept up with the comments know who they are) that if they draw something from a fandom I know, I'll write a short vignette based on the image, or vice versa. They drew a crossover of characters from Tread Softly in the world of the ARK survival game. I don't know much of anything about that game, but I did a little poking around to get a feel for it, and came up with this little mess of a one-shot, so enjoy! And feel free to make requests either here or through my email; I always love a good challenge.

Day 356. Nine days left before the year anniversary. A whole goddamn year... And I still don't know how the hell I got here.

“Do you know how I got here, Crystal?” I ask offhandedly, not for the first time, as I settle back against her flank. She chuffs but otherwise doesn't react, enjoying her nap too much. “I don't suppose you could tell me even if you did know. Probably wouldn't want to even if you could, isn't that right, furball?”

Raising her giant head to stare at me with those striking crystalline blue eyes that prompted me to tame her instead of killing her, she stares at me and deliberately licks her long, sharp canines. The first time I saw those wicked fangs, I thought for sure I was hallucinating, but she’s very, very real; a fucking sabertooth.

“Yeah, stop threatening me with a good time, bitch,” I snicker at her, putting my knife down for a second to scratch at the sweet spot behind her ear that she loves so much. She makes a pleased rumbling sound, almost like a purr, but not quite, and leans into it.

Suddenly she jerks up, head whipping around and ears twitching as she goes on high alert. I tense, grabbing my knife again and setting aside the spearhead I was sharpening so I can slowly, cautiously get to my feet; if I've learned one thing from this past year, it's that if you make one wrong move, you're dead.

Crystal stands as well, mouth open to taste the air, ears on a swivel to catch every sound, tail flicking warily. She stares intently deeper into the forest; I keep to the beach for the most part, but now and then I have to stray inland to get what I need, and we're maybe a half mile or less from my hut, with plenty of dangerous land out there, so it could be anything. I grip my knife, holding my breath.

Two huge eyes appear between the trees, light catching and reflecting a vivid gold.

I'm dead. So dead.

Crystal growls a low warning, and it's met with an equally warning growl in return. Her lips peel back, head lowering, but she doesn't make another sound, nor does she move from my side. In fact, she leans subtly against my leg, as though to assure me that she's not going to leave me unprotected.

Then there's a soft, almost inaudible rustle of leaves, and a figure forms out of thin air, stepping closer. The pair of eyes shifts closer too, resolving into the biggest fucking wolf I've ever seen. And it's standing beside the most perfect figure of a man; I'm instantly jealous of his sharp, handsome features and tall, sturdy build. But what catches my attention the most is two shards of crystalline ice, almost shade for shade the same colour as Crystal's.

“Holy...”

“Don't move,” he snaps, hand dropping to a full blown sword at his side.

“You really think I'm gonna attack the only other human I've seen in months?” I scoff at him, ignoring the command and slipping my knife back into its holster but leaving the clasp unbuttoned, just in case. Scrubbing my hand through the thick fur at the back of Crystal's neck, I start to turn away.

I react more instinctively than consciously, snatching my knife out of the holster and bringing it up to divert the sword blade slicing at my gut. Crystal snarls loudly and makes to lunge at him, only to have the wolf slam into her with a barked growl, drawing her away. For a moment, the trees ring with the clash of metal on metal, but this guy clearly overpowers me, and not just because he has a sword; in a matter of seconds, my knife goes flying into the underbrush, but almost at the same time, Crystal pins the wolf, giant teeth poised to rip out its throat.

“Well, lookie here,” I smirk, slowly raising my hands. “You can kill me if you want, but my tiger will kill your wolf, and then she'll rip you to sheds.”

“I'm not going to kill you,” he says bluntly, sheathing his sword and striding over to pick up my knife, along with the half-finished spear it landed beside. He hands both to me without hesitation.

“Then why'd you attack me?” I ask irritably, taking them.

“To test your skills,” he answers easily. “I may be the first person you've met, but you're not the first person I've met, and all of them have attempted to kill me.”

“Uh huh.” I don't know whether I believe him or not, or if I'm just sceptical that he wasn't the one doing the attempting.

“Call off your tiger,” he commands, a note of authority in his voice that has me whistling to Crystal without even pausing to think. She reluctantly pulls back, and circles wide around the man on her way back to my side while he goes to the whimpering wolf. As he checks on it, he sighs. “Still a baby...”

“Excuse you?” I scowl at his back. He casts a bland look over his shoulder.

“The wolf,” he clarifies pointedly. “He's only a year old.”

“Oh.”

“Do you have any medicinal plants?”

“Uh...”

“Good God, how are you even alive?” he scoffs, shaking his head and digging into a pack at his hip until he comes up with a leafy sprig that he promptly begins crushing to a paste with a clearly handmade but surprisingly effective mortar and pestle.

“I- That's-!” Flustered, I stammer for a response and end up lamely demanding, “If you have some, why'd you ask me??”

“Because it's your fault he's injured,” the man says bluntly. “I don't have a lot of this particular herb, and I'd rather ration it carefully.”

“You know there's a whole field of them, right?” He goes still and then turns an intense stare on me.

“Where?”

“Just ov-” I start to gesture toward the meadow not far from here, but stop myself when I realise the power I hold over him right now. “Why should I tell you?”

“Because,” he says with exaggerated patience, “it's the simplest method; I could easily figure out where it is by taking into consideration how little you must travel, which means your base of operations isn't far from here, which in turn means that the field must be within a given range of that base. But I'd rather not spend the time when I can get directions directly from you, and I doubt you want me snooping around your base to figure it out anyway.”

Well shit.

“I want to hate you so much,” I sigh, “but I really can't. Yeah, it's not far; just up the beach a bit.”

“The beach?” he stares at me, shocked, and I frown.

“You know there's a beach, like, right over there, right?” I point and his expression goes completely blank.

After a really, really long moment, when things start to get awkward, I clear my throat and step forward to wave a hand in front of his face.

“Yo. Zone out or something?”

“Sorry, I just...” He shakes his head, rubbing a hand over his mouth. Taking a breath, he lets it out slowly. “I have been exploring for months, searching for... something; I don't know... a way out, I suppose. And all I've found is the sea.”

“Wai- What are you- Are you saying this... this place... is an island?” I ask, incredulous. He grimaces faintly, and that's all the answer I need. “Christ...”

“I think so. I don't know what else to think...” He admits.

“Shit... Fucking- Goddamnit, I'm stuck in this godforsaken forest!”

“Relax,” he says gently, reaching out and gripping my shoulder. “If there's a way home, we'll find it.”

“How the fu-” I break off abruptly as I really register what he said. “...We?”

“We,” he confirms, a slight smirk curling his lips. “You're stuck with me now, Sir.”

...Goddamnit.

 

Day 365. He still hasn't left.


End file.
